I welcome comments on my blog posts as they help me to clarify what I mean and provide deeper insights that give a perspective that I may not have had. In my previous post about what I believe spirituality to be, Lisa from Mommy Mystic blog made a comment that inspired this post. Sometimes we need allies like Lisa to help us to be more clear in our understanding and expression. This is the advantage of not hiding away in a cave, metaphorical or otherwise, for it is in relationship with others that we get to know ourselves. Allies come in the form of teachers, fellow travelers along the path of awakening, and tools that give us some reprieve from the difficulties we encounter. The journey must be undertaken, knowing that only we ourselves can do it, but there is comfort in knowing that others are there to support us along the way.
Lisa’s comment referred to the teaching of healing tools such as chakra meditations and other such modalities as a way of exposing people to another world-view. In my post I stated that these techniques are taught as spirituality when they are just methods for manipulating our energy bodies. I agree with Lisa that there must be a distinction made between experiences gained from meditation practices and self-knowledge that comes from inquiring into the nature of reality and our part in it.
Many of us turn to spirituality looking for answers when our lives are not working. Some of us are looking for something that would just take away our problems so that our lives would be easier and we would be happier. These modalities that I referred to, do just that. They ease our pain but they do not address what is underlying our pain, so we have to keep going for energy healings or if we are disciplined, to do it ourselves.
Sometimes we will come across a guru who promises that all we have to do is surrender to them and that they will take all of our karmas away. Maybe this works, I really do not know because it is not easy to surrender; perhaps it is surrendering the ego in itself that loosen our karmas. If we can accomplish that, then we would already be doing the work of self-inquiry that leads to knowing our true nature, so which comes first in this scenario with such a guru? There is no quick fix, we must take responsibility for our transformation.
I believe that people have always been looking for ways to make life easier. In earlier times, people went to shamans and priests to heal sickness, to get blessings for children and for an abundant food crop. Life was simpler then and the culture of ancient traditions did not have the fear and denial of death as we do today. What drives our seeking is the fear of death of our egos and physical death.We are now at a point in our evolution where we are being shown how our psychological makeup is constantly being reflected in our relationships and we see the need to understand how we create our reality and to master it. I have to be careful here because it is not as simplistic as some modern healers make it out to be. An example is, that we create cancer because we have not forgiven the past. When a dog gets cancer, does this apply? There are many contributors to factor in the equation of any of our difficulties, but we can work with what we know.
What we know from the wisdom teachings of the East, is that from lifetime to lifetime, we carry the impressions of our beliefs that cause us to act in ways that create the outcomes we experience. Until we begin to do self-inquiry and change our beliefs, we will continue to be stuck with the patterns that create our difficult emotional states. When we feel stuck and need a break from our minds, chakra meditations and such modalities are a support. They are like taking an aspirin when we have pain. They take the pain away for a while, but do not address the underlying cause, which in this case is our identification with our limited aspect, where we feel separate in a state of non-peace. If skillfully used, these modalities can help us to get in touch with our negative states and move beyond them. When we stay present to our difficult feelings, if we keep inquiring what is the need behind it, we will see that we are asking for the experience of our true nature which is love.
With the wisdom teachings, we know that these states are not the truth of who we are, that they are one aspect in the totality of our beingness. We can hold that aspect with a loving tenderness and just like a child who feels comforted and secure after acknowledgement of their pain, we can return to being lighthearted, joyful and free. This is simplifying the process, for of course we adults go through resistance about giving up the comfort zone of our egos. We resist change even if we know it is the answer we are seeking, for there is security in the old ways of being. Death of the ego is hard to bear even if it means we are cutting ourselves off from our divine aspect of expansive bliss and freedom.
Allies along the path help us by showing us how we hold on to our egos and they are supports for when we want to give up on ourselves. The spiritual journey is about constant letting go of our ego constraints through self-inquiry and to keep being centered in the Truth of who we are. It is not always fun, we would rather hold on to the drama of our difficulties for as one teacher puts it, “Peace is boring.” Our allies help to remind us about the reason we are here, and sustain us along the journey homeward. You, my readers, are my allies, even if I do not hear from you. You help me to express my truth and clarify my understanding of the spiritual healing journey. I am grateful for your presence, thank you!
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Miruh, it made me so happy to read this on so many levels. First of all, your first paragraph described exactly what blogging has become for me also, and I did not expect that from blogging when I started. I think I thought it would be more about me ‘sharing’, and in fact it has been all about me learning to listen, and as a result of comments I have learned to express myself so much better, and learned a lot on a variety of topics. So I share your gratitude for this online world, and the unique opportunity for relationship that it represents, and thank you for expressing it.
You know, the day after reading your first post, the theme of your post was really highlighted for me when I happened to pick up a weekly that had a ton of advertisements for mind/body/spirit workshops and such. I was stunned at how many promised things like ‘this is the fastest route to enlightenment’ or ‘develop psychic powers in 1 week’ or ‘clear your karma through these techniques’. It was all grouped under spirituality. So this word has been co-opted and it’s easy to get distracted by all the ‘excitement’ and promises of healing, powers, and more.
In the end, I think the balance you struck here, is where I am at too, and I thank you for expressing it: “If skillfully used, these modalities can help us to get in touch with our negative states and move beyond them. When we stay present to our difficult feelings, if we keep inquiring what is the need behind it, we will see that we are asking for the experience of our true nature which is love.”
Hello Lisa,
I agree, thanks for articulating the blogging experience so well. Blogging is not what I thought it would be. It has enriched my writing and the stream of topics that continue to pour out unto the blogosphere continues to amaze me. I did not know this was going to happen. I think that the readers attract these ideas to be published, I swear! It is fun and fascinating to watch it unfold.
Your comment brought home to me that I was a bit too vague on the important aspect that tools play in relationship to physical , emotional and spiritual healing, which is an important component of the enlightenment journey.
So thank you for taking the time to comment, you have done a great service for me and my readers.
Deep peace to you!
Thank you for your second post on this very evocative, fascinating theme. I was on holiday when I read the first post, did not have time to digest it as it deserved, but left feeling your sadness and anger towards all the fake stuff out there. I read a post similar to these two recently, where the blogger stated how disgusted she was with all the fluffy promises re spirituality on the ‘net and elsewhere.
I agree; there is lots of fluffy stuff, but it also brings a beginner’s level of awareness to the seeker. I only wish common sense was a part of the seeking.
And you know what? After one has amassed as many tools as one can towards a better understanding, then the only way to actually get there is to use it. All the time. It becomes first nature then.
I felt almost dispaired after I read your first post.
It made me wonder – Who am I to want to aid other people in their spiritual journeys? How am I qualified? And now this post makes me wonder – What is my underlying need in wanting to practice energy work, etc?
I’m glad that you’ve created this second post, because you’ve helped me with an aspect of my emotional cycles that I couldn’t quite figure out on my own. When I am on a low, it is important to acknowledge the feeling, and to ask what is creating this feeling time and time again.
What happened with James A Ray is so incredibly unfortunate. For many years I have been aware of false promises made by some teachers. But it is perpetuated by the paying public, like you’ve said. Feeling good takes effort, and feeling a connection to the divine takes a lot of time … and the courage to ask oneself the difficult questions, to confront the real underlying needs. It is not easy. The human experience is not easy for us, but I believe that is why we are experiencing it. We learn best from our mistakes.
Thank you for a deep, thought-provoking and mindful post, Miruh. I will keep coming back to read your blog.
Yours Truly, Nicole
Hello Marion,
They say there is a reason for everything that happens. Sadly, this turn of events has brought attention to where we have to take a closer look at deception and spirituality.
Lisa mentioned in her comment about the ads in the weekly. It is this sort of mass merchandising that I am against. I agree, Energy healing modalities can be an introduction that would spur a person to want to learn more about the nature of reality.
As you say, doing the work is what spirituality is about, it is not a fad, it is about living it day to day.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this hot topic.
Much love to you!
Hello Nicole,
On some level I was prompted to write the second post to clear the confusion I stirred up. It is all good. We need to confront ourselves and to tell the truth. Are we looking for a way out, or are we looking for a break-through in consciousness.
I found it most valuable to learn from those who were doing the practices. They were not self-realized, and they did not posture themselves in any way, other than wanting to share their experience. It is a great service, to teach others what you are learning. There is power in that kind of support within a community, knowing that we are all students and teachers of each other.
I agree with you, it is not easy, if it were, we would already be living the truth.
Thanks for sharing so deeply.
Love and blessings to you and yours!
Every moment, every person has infinite opportunities to learn to step back and detach from judgment. As one learns to step back from emotions, one can choose not to be controlled by them. The external world is an illusion. To choose to be less affected by what you perceive is to move closer to reconnected with what you are. Everyone is helping everyone else reach new milestones in awareness.
Hello Liara,
These are effective ways to practice on the path to being Truth. Thanks for your insights.
Deep peace to you!
From my vantage point, everyone speaks a unique language. It is our job to translate language for our own personal digestion. Once something is fully processed and accepted, what one learns is that everyone is telling the same story. I Love, or I lack Love. Or as Shakespeare once brilliantly said, To Be or Not To Be. This is the essence of all language.
Therefore, if we truly listen, we can see that humans are always annoucing their blocks in how they speak or in what they say. If we are not sure of something, then there is a block. We must say what we feel. If it is negative, let it out with the intention of feeling it and letting it go forever. If we have a vision of how life is, then embrace it and it will have wide ranging impact beyond our typical senses. This is living the Dream. If we change how we say something, we redirect the energy flow and we begin seeing with new eyes.
We can look at everyone and everything as an Ally. We can embrace what we like, and we can thank those for showing us a path that we ourselves will never take, because we can see in their eyes that it is not for us.
Hello Bern,
Wow, there is a lot in these words, I will have to spend some time digesting them.
This really speaks to me, “..We can embrace what we like, and we can thank those for showing us a path that we ourselves will never take, because we can see in their eyes that it is not for us.”
Thanks for sharing your deep wisdom.
Love and Blessings!
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